Motor vehicle headliners have been mounted to the body structure of a vehicle in a series of individual steps on a vehicle assembly line. Several steps are involved to install a headliner substrate to a vehicle and to install various accessory components to either the substrate or the vehicle to hold the substrate in position. This type of installation in an assembly line requires numerous assembly stations and numerous assembly operators.
The herein invention is concerned with a modular headliner which is assembled unitary element to a motor vehicle at a single assembly station. Additionally, the herein described subassembly of a modular headliner is designed to provide a fastener integrating a sunshade and substrate such that the combination may be snap-fit to the vehicle body structure. Furthermore, the operator may snap-fit the module to the vehicle without needing to enter the vehicle to mount the subassembly or to screw the subassembly into position. Furthermore, the fastener is secured directly to a sheet metal member of the body structure to the vehicle. There is no need to secure a receptacle to the body structure for the purpose of receiving the fastener prior to the assembly of the fastener or subcombination to the vehicle.
A portion of an entire modular headliner may be secured with the herein described fastener such that the sunshade and the substrate are appropriately secured to the sheet metal body structure of the vehicle in this snap-fit relationship.
The fastener as described herein includes a cover and the base and acts to secure the substrate therebetween while maintaining the end of a pivot rod supporting the sunshade in position. Consequently, the two elements are each secured to one another with the specific fastener described to form this module. The fastener has the distinct feature of snap-fitting into the sheet metal structure of the vehicle. Hence, an entire module is disclosed which may provide a unitary subcombination for mounting during the vehicle assembly process.